Tag Archives: gop

Donald Trump was famous before he embraced the birther movement, but when he did he became a cult hero. This has been going on for over 5 years but now all of sudden he says the President was born here. What is making him move from the extreme to the mainstream? Votes. Who will fall for this nonsense? Share your thoughts.

For the past few days Donald Trump has told his crowds that President Obama and Hillary Clinton were the founders of Isis. He made this statement strongly and often. When given opportunities to reel it in he didn’t. So today via Twitter he declares his statements as “sarcasm”. It’s the media’s fault for taking him seriously. Let’s say this is true and that’s stretching the definition of truth. It is sarcasm. Would a serious candidate actually do this? He got his message out to his people and they will take his statement to heart especially when he employed the president’s middle name to his statement. He got the impact he was looking for and for him that is a win.

Franklin Roosevelt is credited for saying “we have nothing to fear but fear itself”. Last night Donald Trump basically said we need to fear everything and he is the only one who can save us. He told us last night that he is the “law and order candidate”. He received rave reviews which included one from white supremacist David Duke (via twitter). Last night Trump danced with the people who brought him to the dance. Sure he did some lame shout outs to gays and blacks, but he saved his red meat for the already converted. He gave a sincere nod to the law enforcement community and rightfully so, but he did not mention the victims of police misconduct. He expressed his rudimentary understanding of foreign policy by slamming NATO. His remarks in a New York Times article have already set off the nerves meter in Europe. The main message of his speech last night was fear me. He said I have the ability to give you your country back and take you back to the days when you were running things. He played to his base and they salivated as he walked them back to pre-2009. He like all candidates criticized the incumbent, but this campaign started 5 years ago when he questioned the legitimacy of President Obama’s presidency. Trump is a birther and in 2011 he appeared a number of times on the NBC Today show floating his theories. So the campaign started then and is probably one of the things his base loves about him. Listening to Trump last night lets us know who he is and what he stands for and it is more than obvious to me that with him as the leader of the Republican party the tent is closed. Zipped tight and there is truly no room for me.

Racism used to be easy to spot. In the 1950’s and 1960’s signs supported legalized racism. Colored only and White only signs were prevalent throughout the South. In the face of integration of the University of Alabama in 1963, Governor George Wallace stood at the door of the school and defiantly said, “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” There were no gray areas in this statement. You knew where he stood and his own words defined him as a racist. Times were simple then, but in 2016 we are puzzled by the kind of political conversation we are hearing. Wallace was ultimately defeated and visual symbols of racism were eliminated. Laws were changed and racists were vilified, America seemed to be ready to go in a more progressive direction, but in this election season we are witnessing the rebirth of the racist candidate. The problem is no one wants to be branded racist even when their own words indict them. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has attacked Mexicans, Native Americans, Women, even the current President of the United States all while receiving more primary voters than any other Republican nominee. So if the candidate was awarded and celebrated for his tone and words during the primary why would he change that tone when he enters the general election? So what happens when this candidate attacks a judge who is over his civil case? The GOP candidate who promises to build a wall between our country and Mexico and says the judge of Hispanic descent can’t fairly judge the case against him because of his ethnic background. So by virtue of being Hispanic he is incapable of being fair to the presumptive nominee. This kind of thinking and speaking is the definition of racism according to the Republican Speaker of the House. So is the nominee rebuked? Are his supporters demanding that he backpedal regarding this offensive attack on the judge? It is interesting watching them try to support him while trying to distance themselves from his more incendiary remarks, but is that really possible? How can you position yourself as fair, rational and non-racist when you still grant tacit support to someone who repeatedly goes beyond the pale when characterizing his opposition? This is the risky strategy that the Republicans are trying this year, and only time will tell if it will actually work, but I still believe if it walks like a racist, talks like a racist it’s a racist, and a racist should never be the occupant of the White House.

How does a nation react when 49 of their citizens are murdered? Do we start implementing new gun control laws or do we simply call for a moment of silent prayer? Over the past few days I have seen people offer prayers for the victims and their families. I believe in the power of prayer but I also believe in the part of the Bible that says faith without works is dead. We can’t keep mumbling prayers or having moments of silence. We have got to do something. What citizen needs a machine gun? Why are we allowed to purchase guns that are only suitable for war? At this point we are beyond shocked we should be enraged. We can no longer simply offer silent prayer we have to do something or we will be right back here again.

George Wallace was a racist. He stood in front of the University of Alabama in the face of integration he utter the infamous words” Segregation today, segregation tomorrow segregation forever. He said he meant it and the federal government used him as the welcome mat as black students started attending the school. There used to be consequences for his actions, but in 2016 consequences are non-existent. Donald Trump has said numerous racist things regarding the judge presiding over his fraud case. What have the Republicans done about it? They have acknowledged it but most of them still support him. There are no points for acknowledging. A racist should be vilified not celebrated, and he certainly should not be the GOP nominee,

When did reality television replace reality? In 2000, CBS released the reality show Survivor, and Americans were hooked. Shows like this could be made cheaply and if you were fortunate enough to get a well- known person to participate you could start counting the Benjamins. This is how the Kardashians went from a family to a brand, and how Donald Trump went from being a successful New York realtor to mega-media personality.
Reality television is predicated on drama. The facts and the truth are often missing in action, but the frenetic drama is front and center. Viewers don’t want to be bogged down with issues of integrity or morality? This is almost like having a once a week fantasy. It’s pure escapism. This is not a problem unless this starts to bleed over into real life. Donald Trump’s candidacy has been the beneficiary of reality television. He was discovered there and over the past eight months we have watched him masterfully use the mainstream media tactics he perfected on NBC, The Apprentice. Real people need real solutions with real plans for the future and that seems to be missing in 2016. Recently, President Obama said at the Rutgers University commencement, “In politics and in life, Ignorance is not a virtue,” he said. “It’s not cool to not know what you’re talking about. That’s not keeping it real or telling it like it is. That’s not challenging political correctness. That’s just not knowing what you’re talking about. And yet we’ve become confused about this.” We have always been a nation that conquered challenges. Sought answers to questions. Ignorance was temporal as we pursued truth, but in 2016 we watch crowds clap and affirm meaningless lines from the stump. No one seems to be asking the real question “how”? What are the voters looking for in a candidate? Someone to tap into our fears and exploit them to their advantage, or someone who has plan with real direction? So far all my questions have been about the candidates, but we have to flip the mirror and look ourselves. Have we become more Kardashian than Camelot, more Trump than Obama? Are we witnessing more than another election? Will this simply become the new normal or are we seeing a real change in how we select a leader? This is important and it is up to the voters to decide how they want this to end and that is a reality.

Most Americans have the opportunity to make mistakes and move on. The exploits of youth are allowed to be a part of the past, but if you are Monica Lewinsky you are not given that privilege. She will forever be associated with President Bill Clinton. She is the one he declared to the world that he had never had sex with that woman. She was victimized by the press in the “90s and now she is quickly become the political football of the 2016 campaign, but is this fair? Should the sins of Bill Clinton be used against Hillary Clinton? Lewinsky was a young woman when she had an affair with Clinton. He has been able to move forward and be regarded as an elder statesman. He has had the opportunity for his life to move forward, but she is forever trapped in the role of a young vixen. Donald Trump and his spokespeople have openly discussed bringing up Lewinsky. Will Lewinsky ever be released from her past or will this affair haunt her to the grave? Share your thoughts.